2018 New Board Members

Elizabeth Bernal, CWJ member, joins the Board in 2018. Bernal works in the cafeteria of an Iowa City public school. While there she has helped children and their parents advocate for their needs and experiences in the public-school system through translation, advocacy, and general assistance with parents as English as a second language. As a community leader and advocate in the Iowa City Community School District, Bernal joins the CWJ Board at a time when student advocacy and grass-roots movements begin to take off in our young organizing community.

Nicole Novak, PhD, has a long history of working with the Center for Worker Justice. As a researcher and an advocate, Novak interactions with communities have proven she’s a strong proponent of the voice of the people. Working alongside dozens of CWJ members, Johnson County officials, and community supporters, Novak has worked to ensure the effectivitness and security of the Johnson County Community ID and the future of this program. She has also volunteered countless hours with CWJ at meetings, summer programs, workshops, CWJ cases, and so much more.

Pastor Anthony Smith of the New Creations International Church has worked for many years alongside members in and out of his congregation to push for social and economic justice. In the past, Pastor Smith has joined campaigns for affordable housing and minimum wage to speak about the compassion of housing legislation and protections and the impacts of a decent, living wage. He continues his work with CWJ in 2018 organizing with other leaders of faith and allies in the community to address increased incidents of racism and discrimination in the Eastern Iowan region.

Join us our Allies meeting to continue discussing the actions community allies can take to support low-wage workers and immigrants. Through community support, CWJ has been able to assist hundreds of workers to recover over $65,000 in wage theft, create one of the first Community ID programs in the Midwest, and raise the county’s minimum wage to ensure a higher standard of living for our community’s families. We’re currently working on multiple affordable, safe housing campaigns, immigration response, and continued work listening and responding to our community.